Jagielka out of Palace clash

Everton captain Phil Jagielka will not make it back in time for Wednesday's Barclays Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.

The defender is back training with the squad after a hamstring injury that has kept him out for nearly two months and could feature in Sunday's clash with Manchester United.

Manager Roberto Martinez is hopeful that midfielders Steven Pienaar and Darron Gibson will recover from knee injuries before the end of the season.

Martinez has stated more than once that the club have no intention of selling the 20-year-old, having dismissed suggestions in January that Manchester United were in talks over a £50m deal.

Martinez said: "According to speculation, we have already turned down a £50 million bid from United, so we're not going to take £38m from Liverpool.

"I think it's quite enjoyable to speak about speculation. It shows how well our players are doing. Those are the type of football compliments we want all the way."

Barkley, who played 32 minutes as a substitute in Saturday's 1-0 win at Sunderland, will be pushing for a return to the starting line-up on Wednesday as Everton host Crystal Palace and seek an eighth successive Premier League win.

That run of victories has moved Martinez's side into the fourth and final Champions League qualification place, above Arsenal, who are at home to West Ham on Tuesday. The manager insists that securing a top-four finish is his immediate priority, playing down suggestions that he was chasing a £3m deal for Espanyol striker Sergio Garcia.

However, he acknowledged that he was on the lookout for new signings ahead of the summer transfer window.

He said: "As you can imagine, we're well advanced in our search for talent and for characters who can help our dressing room. We always do that from window to window. But I think the names coming out in the press are far, far away from the targets we have at the moment.

"The only thing I'm focused on is the next five games. The recruitment and scouting side is always busy behind the scenes, and that will never change.

"And the biggest source of recruitment, believe me, is at home. I'm really excited by the young players the Academy are producing.

"We'll bring players in to help those we have in the squad. But as you can see, our squad is young, we've brought on incredible new fresh blood, and what we want to do now is develop it, keep it together and get the best of the dressing room that we have. It's quite special."